Celebrate Learning! Fall 2015 (Vol 7, issue 1) | Page 11

course partners TCC with NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab and Fab Lab Tulsa to engage students in authentic research opportunities. Over the past two years, eight students from the course have been awarded paid internships at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab to further their research experiences. She has served as a co-Primary Investigator and West Campus coordinator for the National Science Foundation PIPESTEMS grant, which provides scholarships to STEM students and pairs them with mentors to encourage their engagement in the STEM field and improve their success. Throughout her career with TCC, Professor Davenport has not only invested herself in the classroom but has also spent innumerable hours outside the classroom assisting students to reach their educational goals. Mary Phillips Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence Mary Phillips, Associate Professor of Biology at Southeast Campus, is described by her students as inspiring, available, responsive and a learner who shares her knowledge with her students. Her commitment to teaching stems from her own belief that there is no greater power to transform lives than education. Over the course of her 34-year career at TCC. Professor Phillips has sought to help students think critically, communicate clearly and solve problems. She has used innovative curriculum like the STEM Research Challenge course; internships and fellowships from NASA, TU, OSU and others; undergraduate research projects; study abroad trips; and mentoring students individually and as teams to develop their scholarship and interest in science. Her excellence as a teacher has been recognized by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching , the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and the National Association of biology Teachers. Her students simply call her phenomenal. Debbie Deibert Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence Debbie Deibert, Assistant Professor of Child Development at West Campus, is described as a consummate professional whose students are fortunate to learn preparation, organization, consistency and work ethic from her example. This year she guided the development of Seedling Symphony, an innovative program that connects very young children to original classical music arrangements created by TCC’s Signature Quartet. The program was well received by Tulsa’s early learning community, and Professor Deibert presented the program at the International Infant and Toddler Conference in April. As a Child Development Program faculty member, Professor Deibert has been a leader in the self-study process for program accreditation, has participated in curriculum expansions and revisions and has worked to ensure students will have meaningful field experiences that will lead to employment. She also maintains a high level of involvement in the early childhood professional community and serves on numerous local boards, including Tulsa Educare and the Tulsa Jump Start Partnership. RoxAnn Davenport Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence RoxAnn Davenport, Associate Professor of Biology at West Campus, has contributed greatly to TCC’s STEM initiative. Her colleagues describe her as one who quietly and without fanfare takes on the lessnoticed nitty-gritty tasks that must be done for programs to succeed. Professor Davenport was one of the founding faculty members who developed a unique undergraduate research course called the STEM Research Challenge. This (Continued on page 16) 11